DIRECTOR/EDITOR J.J. Adler
Unattached can be seen on The Documentary Channel, check local listings.
Or, purchase a DVD here.
UNATTACHED Credits
Runing Time: 24 minutes
SYNOPSIS
The changing landscape of Western ideas about marriage and family make it complicated to be a single person today -- particularly if you’re a member of a traditional religious community like the Modern Orthodox Jewish Community of New York, currently experiencing a self described ‘Singles’ Crisis.’ Until a few years ago, young Modern Orthodox men and women would marry in their early twenties and it was scandalous to move out of their parents' home unwed. But in spite of the crushing community pressure to marry young, Modern Orthodox Jewish Communities comprised of singles have cropped up, one of which exists on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The singles claim to be desperate to marry but remain single for many years in spite of seemingly many choices. Their status as singles causes major anxiety in the community as whole: the longer young people remain single, the more likely they are to leave the fold. Through a series of interviews with singles, matchmakers, Rabbis, and mothers, Unattached explores this phenomenon. Fifty years ago when Modern Orthodoxy was founded, its mission to integrate secular and religious life wasn't difficult -- as the two shared many values. Now, as sexual mores have loosened up in the secular world, Modern Orthodoxy struggles to maintain the status quo. Unattached is a story of unwitting outcasts who despite their best efforts can’t find their place in the world -- and the community who’s shortsighted choices caused the current state of affairs.
SELECT AWARDS:
2008 Student Academy Award® Winner, Best Documentary
2006 A&E IndieFilms Talent Development Grant
2007 Jury Prize, Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
2007 IFP Audience Choice Award, Columbia University Film Festival
SELECT FILM FESTIVALS
Special Selection, "Best of Fests" program, Vail Film Festival 2010
Official Selection, 2008 Student Academy Awards®
Official Selection, 2007 IFP Market
Official Selection, 2007 Rhode Island International Film Festival
Official Selection, 2007 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
Official Selection, 2007 Washington Jewish Film Festival
Official Selection, 2009 Rooftop Film Festival